Droysen and the Prussian School of History.

Abstract

The Prussian School of History first predicted and advocated, then celebrated and defended, the unification of Germany by Prussia. Experts in German historiography and the of German liberalism have often complained about the lack of a book, in any language, that traces the origins and explains the ideas of this school of history. Here is that book.Robert Southard finds that, for the Prussian School, had an agenda. These historians generally expected to complete its main tasks in their own time and country. The outcome of their politics was, really, an end of history -- not a cessation to historical occurrences, but a cessation of onward historical movement because the historical process had already achieved its long-term, beneficent purposes.Leading us through the intricacies of important but untranslated works of J. G. Droysen, Max Duncker, Rudolph Hayn, and Heinrich von Sybel, Southard demonstrates their belief that the historical sequence was a continual unfolding of God's plan. Indispensable for those interested in the of German historical writing, this book also has major implications for understanding the of political liberalism.